F ^ .; -' 



LOUISIANA. 



BY 



HENRY GANNETT. 



BOSTON : LITTLE, BEOWN, & CO. 

1882. 

\_Price, 25 Cents.li 



LOUISIANA. 



BY 



/ 



HENEY GANNETT, 



i 




\ 



^V^^^copyRighV:''*^^ 



$m^^^ 



DEC 26 1882;) 



BOSTON : LITTLE, BROWN, & CO. 

1882, 



Coxyyrighi 1882, 
By Henry Gannett. 



(a 



LOUISIANA. 



Louisiana, one of the Southern States of the 
American Union, situated on the lower course and 
debouchement of the Mississippi river. It is bounded S. 
by the Gulf of Mexico, W. by Texas, N". by Arkansas, and 
E. by Mississippi. Its western boundary is a line through 
the middle of Sabine lake and river, as far north as the 
3 2d parallel, whence it follows the meridian of the point 
of intersection of the river with that parallel. The 
northern boundary is the parallel of 33°. The eastern 
boundary is the mid-channel of the Mississippi river, as far 
south as the 31st parallel, whence it follows that parallel 
eastward to the middle of Pearl river, and passes down that 
stream to the Gulf. The area of the State, according to 
a late determination made by the Census Bureau, is 48,720 
square miles, of which 1060 consist of land-locked bays, 
1700 of inland lakes, and 540 of river surface, leaving 
45,420 square miles as the total land area of the State. 

The average elevation of the State is only 75 feet, and 
no part of it reaches 500 feet above sea-level. The most 
elevated portion is near its northern border. The surface 



4 LOUISIANA. 

is naturally divided into two parts — the upland, and the 
alluvial and coast swamp regions. Each of the larger 
streams, as well as a large proportion of the smaller ones, 
is accompanied by a belt of bottom land, of greater or less 
width, lying low as regards the stream, and liable to over- 
flow at times of high water. These bottom lands form 
collectively what is known as the alluvial region. It 
extends in a broad belt down the Mississippi, from the 
mouth of the Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico, and up the 
Ouachita and its branches and the Red River, to and 
beyond the limits of the State. Its breadth along the 
Mississippi within this State ranges from 10 to 50 or 60 
miles, and that along the Red River and Ouachita has an 
average breadth of 10 miles. Through its great flood-plain 
the Mississippi river winds upon the summit of a ridge 
formed by its own deposits. In each direction the country 
falls away in a succession of minor undulations, the sum- 
mits of the ridges being occupied by the streams and 
bayous. Nearly all of this vast flood-plain lies below the 
level of high water in the Mississippi, and, were it not for 
the protection afiforded by the levees, with which most of 
the course of the stream is lined, every considerable rise of 
the waters would inundate vast areas of fertile and culti- 
vated land. 

Stretching along the coast, and extending inland to a 
varying distance, ranging from 20 to 50 or even GO miles, 
is a low, swampy region, the surface of which is diversified 
only by the slight ridges along the streams and bayous 
which traverse it, by occasional patches of slightly elevated 



LOUISIANA. 

prairie, and by live oak ridges. It is in and along the 
borders of this coast swamp region that most of the sugar- 
cane and rice produced in the State are grown. 

The low regions of Louisiana, including the alluvial 
lands and the coast swamps, comprise about 20,100 square 
miles, or nearly one-half the area of the State. The 
remainder consists of uplands of prairie and forest. The 
borders of these uplands are generally defined by lines of 
bluffs of no great height. 

The principal rivers are the Mississippi, which flows 
nearly 600 miles through and along the border of the 
State, the Red River, the Ouachita or Washita, Sabine, 
and Pearl, all which, excepting the last, are navigable at 
all stages of the water. Besides those streams which may 
properly be called rivers, the State is intersected by 
" bayous," several of which are of great importance both 
for navigation and for drainage. They may be characterized 
as secondary outlets of the rivers. Among them may be 
mentioned Achafalaya Bayou, Bayou la Fourche, and 
Bayou Boeuf. The signification of the name has, however, 
been extended, so that many rivers in this region, particu- 
larly if they have sluggish courses, are known as bayous. 
The alluvial portion of the State, particularly below the 
mouth of the Red River, is a perfect network of these 
bayous, which serve, in time of flood, to carry off the 
invading surplus waters. 

The lakes of the State are mainly comprised in three 
classes. First come the lagoons of the coast, many of 
which are merely land-locked bays, whose waters are salt, 



6 LOUISIANA. 

and which rise and fall with the tides. Of this class are 
Pontchartrain, Borgne, Maurepas, and Sabine, and indeed 
all or nearly all those situated in the region of the coast 
swamps. These are simply parts of the sea which have 
escaped the filling-in process carried on by the great river 
and the lesser streams. A second class, large in numbers 
but small in area, is the result of " cut-offs " and other 
changes of channel in the Mississippi, and, to a small 
extent, in the Red River. The part of the river left by 
this change of channel becomes gradually isolated from the 
stream by the deposit of silt along the borders of the latter, 
thus changing what were formerly windings of the river 
into crescent-shaped lakes. A third class may be men- 
tioned, namely, those upon Red River and its branches 
which are caused by the partial stoppage of the water by 
the " raft " above Shreveport. These are, of course, much 
larger at flood season than at other times, and, it may be 
added, have been much reduced in size by the cutting of a 
channel through the raft. 

The climate of the State is semi-tropical ; the mean 
annual temperature ranges from 60° to 75^^, changing 
approximately with the latitude. The mean temperature 
of the hottest month is about 85°, while that of the coldest 
month ranges in different parts of the State from 45° to 
60°. The temperature rarely, if ever, falls below 0° Fahr., 
while the heats of summer reach 105° in some parts. The 
rainfall is very heavy along the coast, exceeding 60 inches 
annually, but decreases inland, and is not more than 50 
inches in the northern districts. 



LOUISIANA. 7 

This large amount of moisture, together with the high 
temperature and the fertile soil, suffices to cover the greater 
part of the State, and particularly the alluvial regions and 
the coast swamps, with the most luxuriant sub-tropical 
vegetation, both arborescent and herbaceous. Much of 
the latter region is covered with lofty cypress trees, from 
which hang festoons of Spanish moss. The most common 
species of the alluvial regions and the drier portions of the 
coast swamps are live and other species of oaks, sweet gum, 
magnolia, the tulip tree, black walnut, pine, and cedar. 
Along the streams in the alluvial region are found willows, 
cotton-woods, basket oaks, and other species of similar 
habitat. For the beauty and fragrance of its flowers 
Louisiana is justly celebrated. Its bottom lands and its 
upland prairies are decked with them in tropical profusion. 
Prominent among them in abundance are roses, magnolias, 
jasmines, camellias, and oleanders. Most fruits common 
to a semi-tropical region are to be found here, either native 
or cultivated, such as oranges, olives, figs, peaches, and 
plums. 

The forests cover a very considerable portion of the area 
of the State, and are destined in the future to form an 
important element of its wealth, although up to the present 
time the lumber interest has not been very extensively 
developed. The most valuable timber is that of the long- 
leaved pine (Pinus australis) and the short-leaved pine 
(Pinus mitis). These are mainly confined to the upland 
regions, being nowhere found in the alluvial or coast 
sections. The north-western part of the State is occupied 



8 LOUISIANA. 

by the short-leaved pine, while the long-leaved pine is 
found mainly in large masses north and south of the Red 
River, and also in the east of the State. ^ 

The native fauna of the State resembles in its general 
features that of the other Gulf States. Large quadrupeds 
are comparatively rarely met with, although occasionally 
there are seen black bears and wolves, and in the swamps 
an occasional panther. Smaller quadrupeds, such as 
raccoons, squirrels, wild cats, opossums, &c,, are still 
common. Every bayou contains alligators ; and reptiles 
of various species, such as turtles, lizards, horned toads, 
rattlesnakes, and moccasin snakes, are abundant. The 
avifauna of the State is varied and abundant, comprising 
eagles, vultures, hawks, owls, pelicans, cranes, turkeys, 
geese, partridges, ducks, &c., besides numberless smaller 
species, many of these, as in other parts of the world in 
the same latitude, being brilliant of plumage, but harsh of 
voice. 

The surface geology in its general outlines is very simple. 
The whole alluvial region and the coast swamps, besides a 
considerable portion of the prairie and pine flats bordering 
upon the lowlands, are of the most recent or Quarternary 



^ Of these two species of trees, Professor Sargent, of the United 
States Census Bureau, estimates that there were standing on June 1, 
1880, 26,558,000,000 feet of the long-leaved and 21,625,000,000 feet 
of the short-leaved species. The cut of the former for the census 3'ear 
was 61,882,000, and of the latter 22,709,000 feet, the total cut being 
but '2 per cent, of the amount standing. There is every probalnlity, 
however, that the rate of destruction will increase greatly in the future. 



LOUISIANA. 9 

formations, while the remainder of the State, comprised 
mainly in the region west of the Ouachita and Calcasieu 
rivers, is Tertiary, with the exception of a few very small 
islands of the Cretaceous formation in the north-western 
part of the State. 

In the Tertiary region are found small quantities of iron 
ore, and an indifferent brown coal. But the only important 
mineral product of the State is rock salt ; the deposit upon 
Petite Anse Island, in the coast swamp region, has been 
extensively worked, and produces a very high quality of 
salt. In 1880 its production was 312,000 bushels. 

The principal industry of the State is agriculture, and 
in that cotton takes the first place. Out of a total area of 
tilled land of two and a half million acres, more than one- 
third was planted in 1879 with cotton. The total produc- 
tion was 508,569 bales, an average of "59 of a bale per acre. 
Louisiana stood seventh in the list of cotton-producing 
States, being exceeded by Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, 
Alabama, Arkansas, 'and South Carolina. The cotton crop 
is cultivated botli in the alluvial and the upland regions. 
In the former there were raised in 1879 282,390 bales, on 
364,790 acres, an average yield per acre of '77 of a bale. 
lu the latter region 498,080 acres were planted, giving a 
total yield of 225,385 bales, an average of *45 of a bale 
per acre. The great depth and fertility of the alluvial 
soils are strikingly illustrated by these average yields. In 
the coast swamp region but little cotton is cultivated, — 
the total yield in these parishes, as reported by the census, 
being but 794 biles. 



10 LOUISIANA. 

The production of other agricultural products, as given 

by the census of 1880, is as follows : — 

Indian com Bush. 9,906,189 

Oats „ 229,840 

Wlieat ,, ^',"34 

Eye „ 1,013 

Sugarcane i ^"^'^'^ ^^'^'- ^^^'^^^ 

sugar cane .. "I j^j^j^^gg^ ^.^j^ 11,696,248 

Sweet potatoes Bush. 1,318,110 

Rice lb 23,189,038 

Tobacco „ 55,954 

Rice is cultivated almost entirely in the lower coast 
region, on the margin of the swamps, upon their prairie 
islands, and in the alluvial region south of Red River. 

With the exception of its navigable streams, the State 
is not well supplied with the means of transportation. 
The only railroads of importance are — the Chicago, St 
Louis, and New Orleans, which connects New Orleans with 
Cairo, Illinois ; the Louisiana and Texas Railroad (Morgans), 
which runs from New Orleans westward to Vermillionville, 
and thence northward to Cheney ville ; the Louisiana 
Western Railroad, from Vermillionville to Orange in 
Texas ; the New Orleans and Pacific Railroad, from New 
Orleans to Shreveport ; and the Vicksburg, Shreveport 
and Pacific Railroad, running from Delta to Monroe. 
Besides these there are several minor lines. The total 
length of railroad is 632 1 miles, and the cost of construc- 
tion 144,869,342. The gross returns for 1880 were 
$3,238,318, and the net returns $984,497. 

Louisiana, like the other Southern States, has latterly 
made great advances in the manufacture of home products. 
In 1880 there were 120 looms and 6096 spindles, which 
used 13.54 hales of raw cotton. 



LOUISIANA. 



11 



The banking interest is not extensive, as will be seen 
from the following statement, from the report of the 
comptroller of the currency in 1 880 : — 





Number. 


Capital. 




7 
3 
8 


$2,875,000 

2,723,698 

53,333' 




Private bankers 


Total 


18 


5,652,031 





The number and circulation of newspapers and periodicals 
for 1880 are as follows : — 





Number. 


Circulation. 


Dailies 


13 

97 
2 


38,765 

95,115 

950 


Weeklies semi-weeklies &c. .. 







According to the census of 1880, the population of the 
State was 939,946. This was divided nearly equally 
between the sexes, females being but slightly in excess. 
The proportion of the population which was of foreign 
birth was very small, being but 5*5 per cent,, while in 
respect of race, the negro element outnumbered the whites, 
being 51*5 per cent, of the total population. The following 
table sfives the number in each of the above classes : — 



Male 468,754 

Female 471,192 

Native 885,.S00 

Foreign 54,146 



Whife 4.54,954 

Coloured 483,655 

Chinese 489 

Indian 848 



The following table exhibits the growth of the State 



12 



LOUISIANA. 



in population since it became a portion of the United 
States : — 





Population. 


Per 

Can-, of 
Increase. 


Density 
of Popu- 
lation. 




Population. 


Per 
Cent, of 
Increase. 


Density 
of Popu- 
lation. 


1810 
1820 
1830 
1840 


76,556 
152,923 
215,739 
352,411 


99"7 
41-0 
63-3 


1-7 

3-4 
4-7 

7-8 


1850 
1S60 
1870 
1880 


517,762 
708,002 
7-2G,n5 
939,946 


46-9 

36-7 

2-6 

29-3 


11-4 

15-6 
16-0 
20-6 



The principal cities are New Orleans, with a population 
of 216,090; Shreveport, in the north-western corner, 
population 8009 ; and Baton Rouge, the State capital, 
7197.1 

The State is fairly well provided with the means of 
education. School atteadance, however, is not very- 
general. Out of a population of 330,930 between the 
ages of six and sixteen, 78,528 were enrolled in public 
schools, and the estimated average attendance was 50,248, 
or less than one-sixth. There are in the State seven 
colleges, with 49 instructors and 786 students. 

As in the other States of the Union, the government is 
distributed among the executive, legislative, and judicial 
departments. Tlie executive is represented by the governor, 
lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, State treasurer, 
auditor of public accounts, attorney-general, and superin- 
tendent of instruction — all these offices being elective, and 
the period of incumbency four years. Tiie legislative 
power is vested in a general assembly consisting of two 

^ The capital was removed from New Orleans to Baton Rouge in 
1880. 



LOUISIANA. 13 

branclies, the lower one being the house of representatives 
and the upper one the senate. The members of the former 
body are elected every two years, and the number is by 
law never to exceed 120 nor be less than 90. The members 
of the senate are elected for four years. The number of 
senators is fixed at 36, and the senatorial districts are 
apportioned according to the population. The judicial 
power is vested in a supreme court, district and parish 
courts, and justices of the peace. The supreme court, 
except in cases specially provided for by law, has appellate 
jurisdiction only. It is composed of one chief justice and 
four associate justices. These are appointed by the 
governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, 
and hold ofl&ce for a term of eight years. The State is 
divided by the legislature into judicial districts, in each of 
which there is a district court. The number of districts 
in the State cannot by law be less than twelve nor more 
than twenty. The district judges are elected by the voters 
of the district, and hold office for four years. Each parish 
has its own court. The parish judge is elected by the 
voters of the parish, and holds his office for two years. 
In addition to this each parish elects a certain number of 
justices of the peace with power to try minor cases. The 
State is divided into fifty-eight parishes (equivalent to 
counties), and each of these into a certain number of police 
jury wards which are designated by their numbers. 

Louisiana is represented in the National Congress by 
two senators who are chosen by the legislature of the State 
for a term of six years, and by six representatives who are 



14 LOUISIANA. 

chosen for a term of two years by the voters of the several 
representative districts. 

The following table, compiled from the returns of wealth, 
debt, and taxation of the tenth United States census, 
shows the financial condition of the State in 1880. 

Valuation (Assessed) — 

Real estate $122,362,297 

Personal property 37,800,142 

Debt— 

State 23,437.640 

Parish 1,107.951 

Municipal 18,320,361 

Taxation — 

State 1,171,084 

Parish 710,573 

Municipal 1,914,219 

History. — The early history of the exploration of 
Louisiana forms one of the most interesting chapters in 
the annals of the country. It was first visited in 1541 by 
De Soto, of the Spanish Government service. This daring 
explorer, landing on the coast of Florida, made his way 
through the pathless forests and almost impassable swamps 
to the Mississippi, and even penetrated many leagues west 
of it, finally leaving his bones upon its shores. In 1673 
Marquette and Joliet, starting from the settlements in 
Canada, descended the great river from northern Illinois 
to the mouth of the Arkansas. In 1682 La Salle descended 
the Mississippi, also starting from the French settlements 
in the Canadas. He navigated the river from the mouth 
of the Illinois to the Gulf. Returning to France, he 
originated a scheme for colonizing the country, and suc- 
ceeded in obtaining from France the desired concessions, 
and in collecting a company of colonists, which set sail 
from Rochelle on the 24:th of July 1684. Owing to the 



LOUISIANA. 15 

difficulty of obtaining correct longitudes at sea, the vessel 
missed the mouth of the Mississippi, and finally landed on 
the shore of Matagorda Bay, in Texas, where they estab- 
lished a colony. From this point La Salle started to makt 
his way overland to Canada, but was treacherouslj^ 
murdered by his companions. Shortly after his death the 
colony disappeared. 

The first successful attempt at settlement within the 
State was made by the French under the leadership of 
Iberville in 1700. The colony was located at a point on 
the Mississippi about 38 miles below the present site of 
New Orleans, now known as " Poverty Point." At first 
it was by no means prosperous, and it was only after the 
treaty of Utrecht that it appears to have gained ground. 
At that time there were not over five hundred Europeans 
in the whole territory of Louisiana as then constituted ; 
the greater part were in what is now the State of Louisiana, 
the others being scattered at a few little posts along the 
Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Immediately after the 
treaty of Utrecht the king of France granted the whole 
territory of Louisiana to Antoine Crozat, ceding to him all 
the territories watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries 
below the mouth of the Illinois, with all the privileges of 
hunting, fishing, commerce, mining, &c., which might 
arise in this new territory. Crozat appointed Cadillac 
governor of the colony. Affairs, however, went badly 
under the new administration, and after a succession of 
governors the whole district fell into the hands of John 
Law, the originator of the famous " Mississippi scheme. " 



16 LOUISIANA. 

Desiring to control, among other commercial monopolies, 
the colony of Louisiana, Law found it an easy matter to 
obtain the charter and privileges from Crozat, who was 
only too glad to relinquish them in his favour. A company 
was formed under the name of the " Western Company." 
Grants made to it were for twenty-five years. Subscribers 
tu tbe stock were allowed to pay three-fourths of the 
purchase money in the depreciated bonds of France, one- 
fourth only of the subscription being asked for in coin, 
Bienville, brother of Iberville, and a man possessing great 
influence in the colony, was appointed governor. One of 
his first acts was to found the city of New Orleans on its 
present site. During the year 1718 7 vessels were sent 
out with stores and emigrants, numbering in all about 
1500 persons. The following year 11 ships were 
despatched, and 500 negroes from the Guinea coast were 
imported. In 1721 1000 white emigrants arrived, and 
1367 slaves. 

In the meantime the Western Company had obtained 
from the regent power to join with it the East India 
Company grants, and its name was changed to that of the 
India Company. This inflated scheme burst in due time, 
but the misfortunes of the company did not check the 
prosperity of the colony. The year 1721, which was that 
following the financial ruin of the former, witnessed the 
greatest immigration to the colony which it had ever 
received. The company retained its organization and its 
grant of Louisiana until 1732, when the province reverted 
to the crown. At that time the population of tbe colony 



LOUISIANA. 17 

was said to have been 5000 whites and 2000 slaves ; but 
a census taken fifteen years later shows a population of 
only 4000 whites. 

In 1762, by a secret treaty, the province was transferred 
from France to Spain. This treaty was not made public 
till a year and a half after it was signed, and Spain did 
not obtain possession until 1769. Meanwhile, in February 
1763, by a treaty made between France and Spain on the 
one hand and Great Britain and Portugal on the other, the 
portion of Louisiana lying east of the Mississippi from its 
source to the river Iberville, and thence along the middle 
of the Iberville and the lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain 
to the sea, was ceded to Great Britain. In this treaty, by 
implication, Louisiana was made to extend to the sources 
of the Mississippi, and this is the view commonly held. 
The province was governed by Spain till the year 1800, in 
the meantime making little or no progress owing to the 
narrow and oppressive policy pursued towards it by the 
home government. By the treaty of 1783 with Great 
Britain, the United States were placed in possession of the 
eastern bank of the Mississippi river, as far down as the 
31st degree of latitude, while Spain held possession of the 
other bank, and had complete possession of the river below 
the 31st parallel. 

From the time of the first settlement in the valley of 
the Mississippi and its tributaries, the importance of the 
river as a means of transportation to the seaboard, and the 
almost aVjsolute necessity of possessing the country about 
its mouths, were recognized by the United States. As 



18 LOUISIANA. 

settlements increased in the valley and spread down the 
river, and as the hostile policy of Spain became more and 
more plainly developed, the feeling of the settlers became 
stronger against the restrictions of the Spanish Government. 
In 1800, however, Spain ceded the territory back to 
France, and in 1803 it was sold to the United States by 
Napoleon, in order to prevent it from falling into the hands 
of Great Britain. The price was 60,000,000 francs, with 
a stipulation that the United States should assume the 
claims of its citizens against France (French spoliation 
claims), which were estimated to amount to $3,750,000. 
The province which thus came into the possession of the 
United States was of vast though ill-defined territorial 
extent. 

In 1804 nearly all of what is now the State of Louisiana 
was erected into a territory, under the name of Orleans. 
In 1810 this was increased by the addition of the south- 
eastern portion, east of the Mississippi river, and in 1812 
it was admitted as a State under its present name, and 
with its present boundaries. During the war with Great 
Britain, which followed shortly after, a battle was fought 
for the possession of New Orleans, between the British 
forces under Pakenham and the American army under 
Jackson, in which the former were signally defeated. Up 
to 1860 the development of the State was very rapid, 
especially in the direction of agriculture and commerce. 

Upon the outbreak of the civil war the State promptly 
joined its fortunes with the Southern Confederacy. Its 
act of secession from the Union was passed December 23, 



LOUISIANA. 19 

1860, and from that time until the final suppression of the 
rebellion the State government was in the hands of the 
Confederates, although for the last two years of the war 
its territory was held in the main by the Federal forces. 
In the early part of the war the State suffered but little, 
but in April 1862 Admiral Farragut with a powerful fleet 
succeeded in passing Forts Jackson and St Philip, which 
defended the approaches to New Orleans, and captured 
the city, thus compelling the evacuation of the forts. The 
navigation of the Mississippi being secured by this means 
and by operations from the north, the State was at the 
mercy of the Federal Government. At the close of the 
war, on the reorganization of the State government, the 
administration fell into the hands of the ignorant nergo 
classes Id by unscrupulous whites, and an unfortunate 
state of affairs ensued, which was brought to an end only 
by the arbitrary and forcible assumption of power by the 
better elements of society. This occurred in 1877, and 
since that time the State has prospered markedly in all 
material respects. 



t;f.?RARY OF CONGRESS 



Mllll 

014 542 886 5 



